iwaso — Hotel in Hatsukaichi

We had high hopes for our stay at Iwaso. My parents stayed there in the 1960s, and spoke fondly about their experience, so my wife and I were eager to retrace their steps. I knew going in that historic Iwaso would serve as a time machine back to old Japan, and that there would be some compromises in the quality of accommodations as a result. We felt that the numerous sacrifices were just too many - we couldn't wait to get out of the room every chance we had.||||Iwaso is perfectly situated on Miyajima Island. It's right next to the entrance of Momiji-dani Koen Park, which is the where the ropeway takes people halfway up the beautiful Mount Misen. It's also minutes away from the Itsukushima Shrine (and Torii Gate) as well as the main restaurants and shopping area - everything worth visiting is just minutes away. There are 2 separate buildings; the main, classic section is the original one, and has a much more traditional atmosphere compared to the annex area, which is more modern (with less character.) In addition, there are several "Hanare" stand-alone cottages which are a short stroll away from the main reception building, and are considered to be the most charming accommodations in the entire property, and that's where we chose to stay.||||At first glance, our cottage was charming - it's located across from a small ravine, and surrounded by a forest that is filled with Maple trees. The room design and decor is equally (very) traditional and full of character. Unfortunately, it's way too much of a case of "form over function." First off, the room was tiny - I'm pretty sure it was less than 30m², which is inexcusable for a luxury ryokan villa. There was no closet or storage space for luggage, so by placing them in the main room, it eats into the already-miniscule amount of space. Most luxury ryokans offer a separate living and sleeping area, but not at Iwaso, which was very disappointing and uncomfortable. Typical, non-luxury ryokans usually have one room which is a combo living room/sleeping area, and at night they move the table off to the side and roll out the futons for sleeping. That's nice, but Iwaso does not charge "standard ryokan" rates. The layout was also super weird... the wash basin was next to the veranda and was located across the way from the bathroom and shower - a minor annoyance, but only added to the numerous inconveniences. Also, there was no privacy to speak of, at least when we visited in late November. The main walking trail to the ropeway was on the other side of the ravine, and we saw throngs of tourists hike along the path the entire time we were there, and views into our room were equally accessible to them. We had no choice but to keep the curtains closed, which only added to the claustrophobic feel to the room.||||Most uncomfortable of all had to do with the temperature in the room; there is no insulation to speak of; it was absolutely freezing, and no amount of heating was able to keep us warm. The heating is limited to the main living area. Any visit to the bathroom or shower will be even more unpleasant. Be forewarned that guests who stay here during the Winter months are likely to be in a world of hurt.||||Anything else? Unfortunately... yes. There was no internet in the room at all, which is the biggest no-no. It was partly my fault - Iwaso's website does clearly state that WiFi is not available in the Hanare cottages, and I failed to see the big text stating that fact.||||Oh, and there are no Onsen baths anywhere on the property.||||After the first night, we asked if we could be moved to a room in the newer, Annex building. Fortunately, they had availability, even though only standard rooms had occupancy. It was less charming, but more comfortable.... just a little bit. At 26 square meters in size, it was even smaller than the cottage rooms. There was better (temperature) insulation and more effective heating, but WiFi was slow and spotty, and these rooms did not offer the one amenity that made our stay in the cottage a tolerable one: in-room dining. All guests staying in the newer wing are required to dine in the main dining room, which we feel detracts from the intimate ryokan experience.||||All of this is really a shame, when you consider the great service from the friendly staff, the awesome location, and decent (but not exceptional) food. Regarding the food, there were great dishes while some were only so-so. We appreciated the fact that Iwaso put a great amount of focus on local ingredients and produce, including the farmed Hiroshima Oysters and Anago (Conger Eel.) We loved the Oysters, but the Eel was tough and chewy - Anago can be delicious when prepared in certain ways, but their presentation of Anago was not done very well, in our opinion. Also, the local beef pales in comparison to famed Japanese beef from Tajima, Hida or Kobe.||||We really enjoyed our time in Miyajima and Hiroshima; it's a beautiful place will lots to see and do, even though the famed Torii gate was under renovation and was completely covered up. Unfortunately, it pains me to say that we had a great time there not because of Iwaso, but in...

A 500€/night ryokan delivering a 250€ experience.

After coming many times in Japan, spending one night on Miyajima was supposed to be the highlight of our Chūgoku-region exploration this year. It turned out to be our most disappointing stay.

For this special occasion we were indeed ready to pay for excellence, and chose to stay in Iwaso because excellence is what Iwaso claims to offer. 84,000¥ (drinks not included) gets you perfect ryokan experiences anywhere in Japan. We know so because we had them in Gunma, Gifu, Nagano, Kaga or Hakone.

However for the kind of money Iwaso is charging, we were disappointed at every turn by the corner-cutting experience Iwaso had to offer. And when confronted with our dissatisfaction, the front desk attitude was at best a confusing « thank you for your feedback », at worst a condescending « that’s your opinion ».

Please check the factual pictures of the run-down state of our room, the scratched furniture, not-sliding sliding door & stained linen, and assess if paying 500€ a night (85,000¥) for this is acceptable for you or not.

To be fair with Iwaso, this review doesn’t concern their Deluxe cottages (which I’m sure are nice), but the 80s building in which most of their basic guests stay. The location is great. Their dining room staff is lovely and nice. Their ancient lobby & the outside smoking room facing the river are a dream. And the breakfast was amazing.

However : They advertise a luggage pick-up at the ferry terminal at your arrival. We sent them an email the day before to tell them of our ETA… no one was expecting us there & then. The bathes were good but nothing exceptional in Japan (again : for that price range) The dinner was so-so, with nice dishes (sashimi, fried oysters) but other completely subpar (rice, soup & tsukemono were average at best) for the price range. The beds were not proper futons but 5cm thick, uncomfortable cushions. We didn’t sleep well. The Onsen amenities were minimal and cheap. The room appliances were old -and not in a charming way. The hotel never offered premium green tea but lower quality blends.

All of these shortcomings are acceptable when charged 40,000¥. But absolutely not for the price Iwaso is charging. We were frustrated by our time there and it completely tainted our experience of this wonderful island.

The hotel rejected our complaints and offered no excuses nor commercial gesture to make up for their...

This place has an illustrious history and a long track record of incredible food, natural location beauty and service. That being said, it seems to be struggling a little bit in terms of infrastructure and quality. Our initial impression was impacted by the van that picked us up. It looked a little dirty and worn out. The driver was nice enough. Check in was straightforward albeit less courteous than that of other ryokan. Our kimono clad staffperson gave us a little tour that was nice, but she said she would be bringing cookies and tea, which was very nice of her, but it took far too long to arrive. The room had a gorgeous view, possibly worth the price of admission alone, and yet room facilities were quite dated: the “smart toilet” was broken and unusable (unacceptable!) and they had a rotary dial phone and a tiny tv. This room felt trapped in the 70s. I think it’s certainly possible to have a traditional ryokan that is simultaneously modern. Later we went to the onsen hot spring in the basement, which was wholly inaccessible to people with knee, hip or other lower extremity disabilities. The onsen was very nice, especially the outside one. The biggest disappointment was dinner. We had previously stayed at a remarkable ryokan in Kyoto with Michelin level cuisine. The food at Iwaso-so was so so at best. I had a better meal in a hole in the wall in Hiroshima. Breakfast was very good on the other hand although due to reported post covid staffing shortages we had to wait close to 30 min to begin eating (this is unacceptable in a ryokan). When were we leaving the restaurant we saw a senior kimono clad woman screaming softly at our poor waitress. We felt bad for the young woman and the stress Iwaso-so seems to be under. Iwaso-so is a grand ryokan that has seen better days. I think management can course correct and help this historic facility recover its past glory. However in its current state I suggest spending your...